“Do I Want My Book Banned? No,” “Perks of Being a Wallflower” Author Says After Wallingford, CT Book Controversy
From NBCConnecticut:
The author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” says he’s offended when critics quote passages of the book out of context.
In a recent interview, author Stephen Chbosky clarified the contents of his book that one Wallingford parent deemed controversial, complaining to the school district and objecting to students being allowed to read it. Wallingford Superintendent Salvatore Menzo removed the book from the curriculum in response back in February.
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The book is meant to create dialogue, Chbosky added, because “the more conversations we have about these things, the better.” His book has been on the American Library Association’s Top 10 most challenged books numerous times in the past decade.
“Do I want my book banned? No. Challenged? No. I don’t care how many (books) I sell, it’s not worth the silence,” he explained. “It makes me feel sad. To me, it means that the conversation was attempted to be ended by somebody.”
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Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, Profiles, School Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.